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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Would you like Toolbar with your Software Order?

Yesterday, I had a chat with a nice guy who does business development for IAC, the folks behind Ask.com. IAC is also behind other products I don’t care for like Zwinky and so-called FunWebProducts. IAC has had a lot of success lately talking companies into including their free Ask.com toolbar and they thought WinPatrol might be a popular partner.

Last year a number of companies decided to treat their customers with automatic installation of the Ask.com search/toolbar. If you’re not paying attention when you install software from Webroot, Nero and Zonelabs(Check Point) you’ll soon have a branded version of the Ask.com toolbar installed. My new friend at IAC tells me it’s quite common and they recommend pre-checking the install option to make sure more users receive the toolbar. He mentioned bundled installations of DivX and Skype as examples of this being an accepted industry practice.

The sales pitch to include a toolbar with WinPatrol was compelling. I’m told that the my reputation wouldn’t be affected and I would be providing my customers with a service by including the free toolbar. All the companies currently installing the toolbar are very happy. He even leaked the news that another well known Anti-Spyware vendor would be announcing their own deal soon.

I crunched the numbers and sure enough the revenue I could receive by including the toolbar would be huge. My overhead is low and the free version of WinPatrol has many thousand downloads even on the slowest day. If I chose to include the Ask.com tool bar I could probably retire comfortably by the end of the year.

Unfortunately, a number of people think I’m a really, good guy and I respect their opinion. For the last ten years WinPatrol has had a flawless reputation. I know myself, I really hate companies that install additional software that I didn’t ask for. It’s not only rude, it’s just wrong.

While IAC may be a respectable company, I’ve never been a fan of programs like SmileyCentral, and Zwinky that install multiple programs when users just want a single cool program. They also auto install the MyWebSearch toolbar and SearchAssistant. Ask.com may very well grow to become the number one search engine but they’ll do so by getting installed on computers without being asked for. (no pun intended)

I’m going to have to pass and keep WinPatrol simple and pure. There will be a new version of WinPatrol later this month and it won’t include any toolbars. Hopefully, users and editors will continue to recommend Scotty the Windows WatchDog because they love and respect WinPatrol. This may not be the best business decision I’ve ever made but I can live with myself.

54 Comments:

Maybe some other companies who see what you decide will also take the high road, the one that leads to respect and integrity within ones community instead of the road to riches via the quick easy money with default installs. And no one is being kidded here, they are only ticked by default because if not, they would not get any installs, meaning no money.

Kudos my friend. All your loyal users eagerly await the new version of WinPatrol, sans any extras.

Your decision is commendable. There's no good reason why users requesting one program should be forced to install something else too, or for that matter should be tricked into thinking something else is necessary when it isn't.

I wish you all the best with your product. Taking the high road has to be the best choice in the long run, and you deserve the good things sure to come your way.

I commend you for your decision Bill. That is exactly what we need more of, someone with the meatballs to stand up and say no, I won't give in to this crud and keep in the excellence that you built to begin with.

Good for you, Bill to stand on principle instead of taking the easy dollar. I will always continue to support and spread the word about WinPatrol. If your costs ever increase greatly to where you have difficulty keeping up the development of this great product, let your users know. I'll be the first to donate or pay a yearly subscription for the great service and the "clean" program you provide.

Good to hear Bill you said no. I tell everyone WinPatrol is a must have program and how the Plus version is even better and you can't bet the price on it either. I know you will not get as rich but your sure feel better not installing the malware. Look forward to your newer version of WinPatrol too as I always do.

I've only been a user for a little while, and a major decision in deciding to go the paid plus road was the clean install and the assurances of no hidden stuff. Thanks for a useful program free from unwanted installs. If I want there toolbar I will go get their toolbar

I applaud your fidelity to your current (like me and my clients!) and future (like more of my clients!) customers Bill.

Winpatrol helps us keep our systems clean, fast and reliable. The sense of disappointment one feels when a trusted supplier resorts to this sort of ploy to raise revenue from its userbase is immense; I'm glad you resisted the Dark Side!

Thanks Bill.I believe that was a very good business decision you made by you.Never let those shady companys mess up your top notch program.I bought WinPatrol plus some time ago and have never regretted it.

After first installing the free version some years ago, I soon upgraded to Plus and never regretted it! I recommend WinPatrol to all my friends - an extremely useful tool! Kudos to you for your ethics.

Kudos to you Bill. I am recommending Winpatroll to anyone I work with, be it on the forums or directly through seminars or conversations. A lot of programs have ended up on my blacklist because of installing programs that I have not asked for. The latetest one is Webroot. Did not renew because of their including Ask toolbar.I am running one bought licensed copy one that you have been nice enough to donate and one unlicenced copy. Will license that one soon.Thanks for your work for all of us and for being a honorable man.

Bill, you an outstanding product and a sterling reputation. I'm pleased you're refusing to join the ranks of companies that supplement their incomes by providing a potential disservice to their customers. "Opt out" shouldn't be the standard, "opt in" is less obnoxious. I'd rather just have an opinion and make up my own mind. Tell me what you think of a toolbar or browser add-on and provide a link. I'll decide.

I urge everyone who supports your decision to back that up by purchasing the pro version of WinPatrol. I have, and will continue to do so.

As a long time user of Winpatrol, I have to disagree with only one thing that you wrote (and that was a supposition in the first place):

"This may not be the best business decision I’ve ever made but I can live with myself."

As long as I have used WinPatrol, I have not known you to make a bad business decision - your product is free for life, and a *single* registration fee registers it for life - in a time when so many developers / companies / corporations / etc. are moving to a subscription-fee based business model, you have bucked the 'standard' and continue to offer a Top Ten Must Have application that is *still* "Compatible with Windows 95 - Windows Vista".

Therefore, I disagree that you may not be making a good business decision - you are making the best possible decision, from the POV of all the users out there, from the POV of the registered users, and from my personal POV. Thank you for not including dubious software to easily get rich. Thank you for continuing to make good, quality software to help users worldwide protect themselves. And, finally, thank you for being so civic minded.

But... There were some other options; you could have some differing flavours of WinPatrol.

1. WinPatrol demo that gets upgraded either by paying the upgrade fee or accepting the toolbar. The customer decides how to ‘pay’.

2. Demo version with toolbar that removes the toolbar on upgrade payment.

3. There are several other permutations but you get the picture.

The key thing is that integrity is maintained by being up front with the customer. I guess all I am saying is that if the income was that good it might be worth working out a way of getting some while maintaining credibility.

I have never used WinPatrol but was considering installing the free version when I came this blog. Your decision to refuse to include Ask.com (the don't ask) has convinced me to purchase WinPatrol Plus without even trying the free version.Cheers,Ramzi NajjarBeirut, Lebanon

Adding on a toolbar and calling it a "good business decision" is merely a rationalization. Those who do bad things to people have to find a way to tell themselves it is ok. I suppose the folks at Enron responsible for the scandal told themselves that as well. They were hard core business guys weren't they?

You made a good business decision in reality Bill. Don't let others twisted morals and self manipulation have you feel otherwise.

My heartiest congratulations to a REAL man of integrity. I have always recommended your free product to all of my clients, and members of my MSN group. I will now upgrade to your paid version. Won't help you to retire, but every little bit helps.

The problem is not that of Opt in / Opt Out. The problem is that of spying and harassment of Internet users.

The Internet only works with real money. The money is provided by advertisers. They require, in exchange: The right message - at the right time - to the right person. The advertising agencies, in order to save the budget, must do more and better than the others. They must better understand the targets: us. They know us better than we do know ourselves. Better than our mother knows us. Google won the bet. The others are fighting for our use of their toolbars. They want to catch a piece of the pie and we are the bait.

Shame on me! I have not yet made a page talking of WinPatrol in my website.

All I can say is that I left Comodo for Norton Internet Security 2009 because of the Ask.com toolbar. When my Norton subscription expires later this year, I'll be moving to a firewall/security suite that doesn't offer this 'feature'.

Well done, Bill.With every fresh install, Win Patrol has been the first security program installed. I have just received the NIS 2009 upgrade, and sure enough , the Ask toolbar appeared unannounced. I immediately disabled it. Stay true to your convictions.

Bless your little heart, Bill. Toolbars are one of the banes of my on-line existence, right up there with chain emails. I recently wanted to add an Avery option to my Word 2007. After I raised holy hell with them about the Ask.com toolbar being a prerequisite, lo and behold, I was notified that I could now get my download without added crapware.

Keep the faith, Bill! There's a reason I've been a Plus subscriber for over 4 years now.

More power to you Bill, there are so few people out there that stand on their integrity, my website will never have third party rubbish on it as long as I live, I am so sick on the emails and contacts trying to get me to 'join the rest'You restore my faith my friend

Bill, your integrity is invaluable in a world in dire need of integrity. I have been recommending WinPatrol to family and friends for years as an unbelievable value for a pittance. Thanks for your dedication to your friends.

Everyone take note-This is like a scene out of something off the sci-fi channel- the lone rebel not wanting to go along with the system, because it has become clear the system is corrupt.Bill did the right thing. We are cheating ourselves and others when we don't.